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Lifestyle HUMOR from The Rebel Housewife: Anecdotes, observations, experiences
On LIFE AT 30 & BEYOND: kids, family, men, BOOKS, cars, pets, tattoos...NASCAR, Aspergers/Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Virtual/Home Schooling, teenagers, Navy Mom...




Sunday
Jul182004

The Rebel Housewife in New York

I had such a fantastic time in New York! Still, it's good to be home with my babies--it's Haleigh's 7th birthday today! She and Tiger are playing with the new Barbie Grooming Stable and two beautiful Barbie horses (with long, style-able manes and tales and hundreds of little vacuum-able pieces--little horsie barrettes, curlers, crimpers, glitter, etc...even "food", which is about a hundred teeny-tiny little yellow and green pellets the size of a Tic Tac). I just LOVE Barbie.

Top 10: The Rebel Housewife in New York!

One...

Meeting so many fabulous, interesting people among the other authors, the media, and the people from RTIR (Radio Television Interview Report--the organizers of the event--they were wonderful!).

Two...

Terrific response from the media, who really responded to The Rebel Housewife (and that crazy redheaded woman). First radio interview in August with: Bob Cudmore on The Bob Cudmore Show, WVTL AM 1570, Amsterdam, New York--more info to follow!

Three...

Private lunch (me and nine of the other authors) with two producers from The View! They were so helpful, with very practical advice and encouragement. (Thanks so much to Patrick and Rachel, and Chris M. at RTIR for arranging that opportunity!)

Four...

Introducing myself to a producer from WBUR Radio, Boston, MA, who said: "I've heard about you!" (Of course I responded: "All good, I hope!") Must have been good, because we worked out a little something--more info to follow!

Five...

The dueling (piano) O'Neill Brothers from Minnesota--very attractive, talented, funny, TALL--who spread the rumour "The Rebel Housewife is going on Oprah TOMORROW!" Which goosed the buzz that was already going on about the crazy redhead--and then we started the rumour that I was going on tour with The Fabulous O'Neill Brothers (remember the movie, The Fabulous Baker Boys, with Michelle Pfeiffer on top of the piano?). It was kind of crazy, but much-needed relief during this intense three-day event of being ON twelve hours a day.

Six...

Media Coach (& Hollywood Correspondent) Gayl Murphy, who was my second face-to-face media interview, after I totally bombed with the first guy--apparently, everybody did--I just couldn't get past the blank look and sleepy, disinterested demeanor. It was not a great start. And then I met Gayl (thank god!), who was fabulous! She helped me get back on track with a good solid pitch and The Rebel Housewife ATTITUDE. She was terrific throughout the summit--we got to be friends, exchanged books, and I look forward to keeping up with her. Visit Gayl online, and see her with all of her famous friends at: http://www.InterviewTactics.com. Her book is Interview Tactics: How To Survive The Media Without Getting Clobbered!

Seven...

My first REAL media pitch (interview #3), with the radio host of Long Island's Dating on WGBB-AM1240 Great Neck, NY was great--she wants me on her show for an hour! (Thanks in large part to Kimbereley Kennedy's endorsement about the single gal loving this unique perspective of married life!)

Eight...

My first on-camera experience as The Rebel Housewife, in an interview with Geoff at RTIR, produced by Jamie Bright Forman, a former staff producer at Dateline NBC. We made this tape to send to the Big Shows (Oprah, The View, etc.)--they have to see a guest's "telegenic potential" before they can consider having them on their show. Geoff and Jamie prepped me and they and their crew made it a great experience and resulted in a terrific promo tape! Russ tells me we can add video clips to the website--we'll work on that so you can see too!

Nine...

Meeting another author at the summit, The Auction Queen, Lynne Dralle, who you will most likely be seeing in the national media. She has a book, The 100 Best Things I've Sold on eBay, and can show people how to turn their "cash into trash" and other ways to make a ton of money on eBay. (I'm working with her on that 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer!) Her website is: http://www.TheQueenofAuctions.com.

Ten...

And the best thing about this quick weekend trip to New York for this event: I got to have my very own Hotel Honey! For years, I've traveled with Russ on his business trips--and I got to play and shop and tourist all day while he worked. This time HE got to come along and have fun while I worked! I didn't have much free time--the summit went from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every night (and I was completely wiped out), but I did manage to get out and about for some walking to the Empire State Building and Times Square, and a two-hour "Night Loop" bus tour. We had a very cool bar and restaurant in the hotel, "Niles," which was quite a hot spot. We had dinner at Niles twice--including dinner and drinks with Kate Hartke, Editorial Assistant at Conari Press (the publisher of The Rebel Housewife Rules). Kate came into New York from Boston for a weekend with friends and met up with us Friday night--it was great to meet one of the fabulous team at Conari!

That's the Top 10...I'm sure there will be more. I've got a ton of follow-up, not to mention laundry and catch-up at home--and Haleigh's birthday!
Friday
Jul162004

The Adventure Continues (Brief)

It's going well at the RTIR National Publicity Summit--I've met a lot of fascinating, fabulous people, other authors and media. I've been very popular with the radio people, so a lot to look forward to there. Russ and I have been running out to be touristy as much as possible--last night it was a 2-hour open-air bus tour around the city at night and then back to the Empire State Building--we made it to the top last night (86 floors!) and it is beautiful. We ended with a very late dinner/early breakfast after midnight at Howard Johnson's on Times Square--the people-watching was GREAT; the food, not so much!

I am a tired Rebel Housewife, getting ready for a long day ahead with a long list of media contacts--I'm meeting with Oprah's people today!
Thursday
Jul152004

The New York Adventure

I am in New York! Day 1 of my RTIR National Publicity Summit Adventure...I'm LOVING it! The vibe and energy here is SO different--remember, this is my FIRST TIME in New York--and I am right in the middle of Manhattan on 7th and 34th (The Southgate Tower), directly across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. The Empire State Building is about four blocks away--we can actually see the top of it out of our window (well, if you look up above the brick wall and the building next door--but it's right there!).

It is surreal just walking down the street--yesterday, Russ and I walked down to Times Square. I would not want to drive in New York--the taxi cabs seem to be on their own little mission of jihad, and they drive with one hand gesturing out the window and the other on the horn. Walking is not a lot safer--the moving mass of humanity flowing down the sidewalk is like a rushing river--you just have to jump in and go with the flow, god forbid you don't know where you're going, or actually care. We've developed rules:
1) Don't look lost--put the tourist map away and just keep going.
2) Don't look directly at anyone.
3) Don't let anybody hand you anything (aggressive advertising!).

The Taxi Ride--
Why didn't anyone WARN us about the taxicab kidnappers??? We didn't know--Russ always had a "car service" when he came to New York on business (back in the good old days) and this is my FIRST TIME! I was clueless, when we walked out of the wrong door at the airport (instead of going to the right from the baggage claim and going outside directly at the taxi stand). Russ was (already) on his cell phone, and a nice foreign man in a white shirt and black pants walked up and asked if we were looking for a taxi. My friend Nancy had told me we'd take a cab from the airport to the hotel, and that it would probably cost about $60.
Okay..."Yes, we are looking for a taxi."
"You please to come with me, this way--" I grabbed Russ and we followed nice foreign man out to the parking lot (away from the taxi stand with all those comforting, familiar yellow cabs)...
"You please to wait here--I get the car. Wait here!" (There were other people loading into nice Lincoln Town Cars and limos, so I'm thinking okay...)
Russ finally gets off the phone, and before we have a chance to think about this, the guy is screeching to a stop in front of us in a beat-up old white Lincoln Continental. I'm nervous, but Russ asks him, "How much to The Southgate Tower?"
"Oh...that be $45--let's go!" (As he's putting our luggage in the trunk.)
Russ pushes me in the backseat and jumps in (he's actually all excited about this, for some reason--to save $15?). I quickly note there is no prominently displayed taxi license or even a meter, but I also notice it's clean and there are indeed door handles on the inside of the back doors, so okay--off we go. Russ quickly pulled out his map to chart our progress from the airport--in the right direction--to the hotel. And we made it. It was okay.
My advice to newbie New York travelers: turn right from the baggage claim area and don't go outside until you get to the door that leads directly out to the taxi stand with the yellow cabs!

Lots of other adventures and all about our "fabulous" hotel room (it actually is pretty cool, just not in the shiny, opulent, generic Marriott/Hilton way--this is New York, baby!), but I've got to get to my publicity summit and meet the media! Today I'm talking to some media coaches, radio, journalists, People Magazine...and LIVE with Regis & Kelly!
Thursday
Jul082004

"WAY Better than Play Station!"

Today's adventure: a personal tour of WSB-TV, the ABC affiliate station here in Atlanta, with my 9-year-old son and his cousin (visiting from Connecticut). We have a very good friend who is The Man behind-the-scenes at Channel 2, so we got to see all the good stuff. The boys' favorite part was working the cameras in the news studio--the cameras are huge (remember the robot, "Number 5" from the movie "Short Circuit"--they look just like that!), and everything is operated by computer and remote control (gone are the days of the guys with the big headphones pushing the cameras around). "WAY better than Play Station!" The boys also got to stand in front of the blue screen in the Weather Center and pretend to do the weather report--and then "fly" above the city when the tech guys put the graphic of the city skyline on the monitor "behind" them. The magic of television--

My favorite part was getting to meet Kimberley Kennedy, the host of WSB's late-night program "Hot Topics" and an early endorser of The Rebel Housewife Rules. (Many thanks to my WSB friend who hooked us up!) In fact, I think Kimberley's wonderful comments will be on the back cover of the final version of the book. She is terrific and I can hardly wait to hand-deliver a signed copy of the book to thank her for her kind and enthusiastic support. You might even see The Rebel Housewife on "Hot Topics" later this year! Check out Kimberley's show--for more information: WSB-TV HOT TOPICS.
Thursday
Jul082004

The NEW Rebel Housewife Weekly Update!

Busy day of prep--getting ready for the trip to New York for the Publicity Summit next week! Shopping, errands, hair...confirm Delta flight reservations...discover there is no Delta flight reservation (minor panic)...call Delta SkyMiles and get it all worked out...trying to be more excited than nervous about this whole deal.

I've just released the very first issue of The NEW Rebel Housewife Weekly Update--an html-format e-zine, thank you very much! Problem is, technical difficulties importing the old (faithful) subscriber list to the new email distribution program, so the first FABULOUS issue went out to a total of 11 (yes, eleven!) NEW fabulous subscribers who have signed up in the last week or two...and I'm not sure how to get it out to everybody else! That will be tomorrow's project--

If anyone happens by between now and then, be sure to go to the main page (or even the little blue box in the sidebar, there) and SUBSCRIBE! Come on, it'll be fun--I promise!